Creating Your Outdoor Nook

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Whether with a book, a Sudoku, or a fresh glass of minted iced tea, an outdoor nook is a perfect place to reside to and forget life’s worries. As we approach summer, there’s no better time to start thinking about creating your outdoor haven and taking steps to ensure that your nook is ready for those day’s that the weather is feeling generous.

Location

The location of your nook is of paramount importance. Ideally, your nook should be tucked away in the corner of your garden for maximum seclusion. This should be feasible in most cases, but in gardens where it is not, the feeling of being tucked away can be achieved through other means.

Make use of existing garden fittings such as sheds and wooden greenhouses to create your corner of remoteness. Alternatively, garden screens and trellis are an effective way to create areas of privacy in your garden without having to make drastic changes. For that extra bit of concealment, flowering vines such as clematis and honeysuckle are a great way to close up any gaps in your trellis whilst adding height, colour and interest to your garden.

Seating

A nook is no use unless you’ve somewhere to comfortably park yourself for endless hours. If unsheltered, it is important that you furnish your nook with weather-resistant furniture to avoid decaying and decomposition. Hardwoods such as teak, keruing and eucalyptus contain natural oil and chemicals that enable them with withstand the toughest of weather conditions, making them ideal for taking up residence in your garden.

However, aptly named hardwood, furniture made from these materials is not the most pleasant to sit on when unaccompanied. Cushions and blankets are an easy way to add bundles of comfort, colour and cosiness to your nook, quickly and conveniently.

Top tip: When furnishing your nook, try your best to find furniture that doubles-up as storage for your cushions and blankets, and other nook necessities.

Seating is the bare essential when furnishing your nook, but we say, don’t stop there! Shelves, coffee tables, footrests and hammocks are also a great way to bring it to life.

Lighting

As the summer descends upon us and days become longer, the temptation to reside in our nooks becomes greater. Lighting is essential in creating the perfect ambiance around your nook beyond the hours of daylight, and there’s an abundance of options to choose from, such as mains-powered floor lights and solar-powered stakes.

Twinkle lights strung decoratively from one tree branch to another or wrapped around fencing is popular among garden enthusiasts. However, candles housed in vases and lanterns (for safety as well as appearance) are a great way to achieve a sense of rusticity and tranquillity.

Heating

We hope and we pray that we’ll experience boiling hot weather throughout summer, however, we know all too well that this is highly unlikely. Therefore, you might want to invest in some outdoor heating for your nook to keep you warm on breezy summer evenings.

Again, there’s lots to choose from when it comes to outdoor heating; trendy firebaskets and firepits are a great way to add a contemporary feel to your nook, while more traditional methods of outdoor heating such as chimeneas’ and wood burners may be more in keeping with your rustic theme, if that’s what you’re going for.

Top tip: When considering where to place your outdoor heating appliance, you must consider safety and ensure that you position it a safe distance from anything that could potentially catch fire.